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In this episode of the Dr. JJ Thomas Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Eric Abramowitz, a certified running gait analyst, and Chris Sims, a two-sport athlete at Bucknell University, for part two of Chris' RunDNA gait analysis. We dive into the key insights and findings from the gait analysis Dr. Eric conducted on Chris in the last episode. Chris discusses how his running form has improved since Dr. Eric's running gait analysis. You'll hear about the differences Chris felt, the significance of the data collected, and the benefits of the exercises Dr. Eric provided to enhance his performance. We also get to know Chris better as he shares his athletic journey and his plans post-college. Tune in to explore how even the smallest tweaks can make a big difference in a runner’s performance.
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Get A Free Copy Of My Book: 5 Things Your MUST do to Build a Successful Cash Based PT Practice: This quick, easy-to-read guide is your no BS steps to what really works in building a Cash Based Physical Therapy business.
👉 https://bit.ly/SuccessfulCashBasedBusinessebook
For more on our in person Physical Therapy continuing education classes, check out our Primal University 🎓 https://bit.ly/primaluniversityyt
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Learn More about Primal Physical Therapy 👉 https://bit.ly/primalphysicaltherapy
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With over 20 years as a physical therapist, JJ’s passion for movement along with her unique experiences and training have shaped her into the successful clinician and educator she is.
JJ graduated from the University of Delaware in 2000, which is now ranked as the #1 physical therapy school in the nation. She holds multiple certifications in a variety of advanced specialty techniques and methods, all of which complement her role as an expert clinician and educator. JJ has been certified in dry needling since 2009, and began instructing dry needling in 2012. She currently teaches for Evidence in Motion (EIM), and also independently lectures and trains other clinicians throughout the country in the fields of physical therapy, chiropractic, and sports medicine. She uses her expertise to help other professionals advance their skills and outcomes, either through manual interventions or specialized movement analysis.
JJ Thomas also has certifications in Gray Cook’s Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), ACE Gait Analysis, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), The Raggi Method of Postural Evaluation (based out of Italy), and many other joint, soft tissue, and neural mobilization techniques. In addition to these accomplishments, JJ is also a trainer for GMB Fitness, where building a solid foundation fosters restoring functional, pain-free movement.
JJ’s expertise in the area of movement analysis and in dry needling has played a large part in success in the field of sports medicine. JJ has had the honor to work with the US Field Hockey Team, and with individual professional athletes from NFL, MLB, NBA, USATF, PGA, US Squash, USPA (polo), and more.
As a recognized expert in dry needling and consultant for organizations such as the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), JJ has contributed to national legislative advancements in dry needling. Her work with these organizations includes establishing national education standards for dry needling competence and successfully adding a Trigger Point Dry Needling CPT code for insurance and billing coverage. JJ assisted the APTA in successfully adding a specific CPT code for trigger point dry needling in CPT 2020.
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Join Dr. JJ Thomas On Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalphysicaltherapy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jj-thomas-31755023/
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========================
Get A Free Copy Of My Book: 5 Things Your MUST do to Build a Successful Cash Based PT Practice: This quick, easy-to-read guide is your no BS steps to what really works in building a Cash Based Physical Therapy business.
👉 https://bit.ly/SuccessfulCashBasedBusinessebook
For more on our in person Physical Therapy continuing education classes, check out our Primal University 🎓 https://bit.ly/primaluniversityyt
========================
Learn More about Primal Physical Therapy 👉 https://bit.ly/primalphysicaltherapy
========================
With over 20 years as a physical therapist, JJ’s passion for movement along with her unique experiences and training have shaped her into the successful clinician and educator she is.
JJ graduated from the University of Delaware in 2000, which is now ranked as the #1 physical therapy school in the nation. She holds multiple certifications in a variety of advanced specialty techniques and methods, all of which complement her role as an expert clinician and educator. JJ has been certified in dry needling since 2009, and began instructing dry needling in 2012. She currently teaches for Evidence in Motion (EIM), and also independently lectures and trains other clinicians throughout the country in the fields of physical therapy, chiropractic, and sports medicine. She uses her expertise to help other professionals advance their skills and outcomes, either through manual interventions or specialized movement analysis.
JJ Thomas also has certifications in Gray Cook’s Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), ACE Gait Analysis, Functional Range Conditioning (FRC), The Raggi Method of Postural Evaluation (based out of Italy), and many other joint, soft tissue, and neural mobilization techniques. In addition to these accomplishments, JJ is also a trainer for GMB Fitness, where building a solid foundation fosters restoring functional, pain-free movement.
JJ’s expertise in the area of movement analysis and in dry needling has played a large part in success in the field of sports medicine. JJ has had the honor to work with the US Field Hockey Team, and with individual professional athletes from NFL, MLB, NBA, USATF, PGA, US Squash, USPA (polo), and more.
As a recognized expert in dry needling and consultant for organizations such as the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), JJ has contributed to national legislative advancements in dry needling. Her work with these organizations includes establishing national education standards for dry needling competence and successfully adding a Trigger Point Dry Needling CPT code for insurance and billing coverage. JJ assisted the APTA in successfully adding a specific CPT code for trigger point dry needling in CPT 2020.
========================
Join Dr. JJ Thomas On Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primalphysicaltherapy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jj-thomas-31755023/
========================
Creators & Guests
Host
Dr. JJ Thomas
Master of Movement With over 20 years of experience, Dr. JJ Thomas has established herself as a highly successful clinician and educator. Her unique experiences and training have shaped her into a passionate advocate for movement and patient care. Graduated from the renowned University of Delaware, the #1 ranked physical therapy school in the nation. Holds multiple certifications in advanced specialty techniques, including dry needling, SFMA, FRC, and more. Instructs and trains clinicians nationwide in physical therapy, chiropractic, and sports medicine, both through Evidence in Motion (EIM) and independently. Expertise in movement analysis and dry needling has made her a sought-after professional in the field of sports medicine. Worked with notable organizations and athletes, including the US Field Hockey Team and professional athletes from NFL, MLB, NBA, USATF, PGA, US Squash, USPA (polo), and more. Recognized as an expert and consultant in dry needling, contributing to national legislative advancements and education standards in the field. Lives an active lifestyle, engaging in various activities like running, weight lifting, Jiu Jitsu, hiking, skiing, and more.
What is The Dr. JJ Thomas Podcast?
Welcome to The Dr. JJ Thomas Podcast! Here I'll be talking all things physical therapy, raw and unplugged, giving you the unfiltered insights you've been searching for in your cash-based physical therapy business. If you're caught in the grind of the traditional model, swamped with paperwork, or feeling like you're not reaching your full potential as a physical therapist, this podcast was created just for you.
The Sims, our Bucknell, 2 sport athlete. Really, he's primal fam. He's been primal fam for a long time. What impressed me about you was your immediate, I wanna say acceptance of whatever information I was feeding you. There wasn't a hesitation.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You were like, I'm in. Let's go. And every day you did it and you got back on the field and you went back to your business. Yeah. It's awesome.
Chris Sims:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:How did it feel to you, Chris? Like, the difference?
Chris Sims:Definitely right after Eric gave me, like, the first initial cues. I started to notice a difference in my running form. I started to feel a little bit more balanced. I started to feel a little bit more comfortable.
Dr. JJ Thomas:You don't have to be injured to benefit from a gait analysis. Right? Like, it's performance.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:No matter what level of a runner you are, there's always areas to improve that running economy.
Chris Sims:So, like, having these exercises, being able to, like, keep my knee in a good position, being able to hip help my hips and my glutes, you know, and stuff like that and take those with me when I go to school, when I go home, when I work out, is really important. So yeah.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Welcome to the doctor JJ Thomas podcast.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Hey, everybody. Welcome to the doctor JJ Thomas podcast. I'm JJ Thomas. Today, we have our second part of the Chris Simms running gait analysis. Last week if you guys saw the episode, doctor Erica Abramowitz, my friend and colleague, did a gait analysis, live gait analysis on Chris Sims.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Our Bucknell 2 sport athlete. Really, he's primal fam. He's been primal fam for a long time. So so we're kinda hashing it out, talking about the things we saw. I wanted to let you guys get to know Chris a little bit better because Chris is a really special person and and you can see it by the way he runs but but more so when when you get a chance to talk with him and to see what a great person he is.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Kinda kinda lends you to understand. I think often when I work with high level athletes, I often see a trend that high level athletes, high performers are often just really awesome people. So I wanted to get to to show that on the podcast a little bit. So thanks guys for coming Absolutely. For coming over.
Chris Sims:Thank you.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. So, yeah, can we start with you, Chris? Like, tell if you could just tell the listeners a little bit about your story, how you, got into the sports you did and and, your your path to be a Bucknell athlete and a little bit of little bit of your background.
Chris Sims:Yeah. Yeah. Of course. So I went to the Hanford School right down the street, where, obviously, there's a strong sports culture. And growing up, I always watched some of those star athletes coming through.
Chris Sims:So I was like, this is definitely something that I wanna do. And then once I got to high school is kinda where everything took off, and I just, started to really excel in sports in school. So yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. I remember when I first heard about you. I was working with one of your friends at the time. I hadn't met you yet, and, and you were playing it was during football season and you were getting a lot of calf cramping.
Chris Sims:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And it was really cute. I got a message from one of your friend's moms and she was like, we have one of our best athletes on the team. He keeps he's not able to finish the the game out because he's getting his horrible calf cramps. Can you help him? And, and that's how we first met.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So, and right off the bat, like, what impressed me about you was your, immediate I wanna say acceptance of whatever information I was feeding you. Like, a lot of times when we work with athletes, they have a hard time sometimes, you know, we're very out of the box. We we treat the body as a system here which is a little bit different than most physical therapists.
Chris Sims:Right.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And I think sometimes athletes look at us when we say to them I want you to do this motion where you're hopping like a frog and they look at us like what the heck, but you didn't hesitate. Like, I remember looking at you and and I think we discovered that your calf cramping was really coming from, like, a nerve tension in your back.
Chris Sims:Mhmm.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And, part of it at the time was from tightness in your hip flexors. Right?
Chris Sims:Right. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And so I was like, let's do this core stability exercise, frogger hops, which you guys I'm sure know by now. And, there wasn't a hesitation. You were like, I'm in. Let's go. And every day you did it and you got back on the field and you you you went back to your business.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. It's awesome.
Chris Sims:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. So and then years later I got the picture you're doing it at Buck Now which is the best. Yeah.
Chris Sims:Of course.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So, but a little bit more about so your journey through Bucknow and and, knowing what type of athlete you are and the type of person you are to just every time you come into a roadblock, you find a way to problem solve around it. Can you share with us some other stories you've had while at school where there might have been, you know, something you had to work through? I know, you know, you're 3 hours away. You're not getting here all the time. How are you working through stuff when you're at school?
Chris Sims:Yeah. So a lot of times when I'm at school, when I kinda hit the roadblock, kinda just going back to whatever you had taught me when I first started going coming here, so the, the Froggers and all those different stretches to make sure that my core and my hips are in line and stuff like that. I definitely did hit a roadblock my freshman year when I got knee surgery, and I kinda didn't know where to go. And, thankfully, I was able to come back here and actually do a lot of work with you, which was great, which got me right back on the track, like, pretty soon. So
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. You're giving us too much credit because Chris I mean, like I said, he's so easy to work with because you tell him something and he does it, like, to the tee. Right, Eric? Absolutely. So Eric and Chris started working together recently too, and was this was this the first time this bout or you've worked with Chris after his knee, I think, a little bit too.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Right?
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Yeah. We spent some time working
Dr. JJ Thomas:on his knee
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Yep. Postoperatively. And then after last couple years, I guess, came back, wanted to take a look at the running form and
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:See if we can fine tune some things for the last year.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. So what, what prompted I know we were talking about that's the running gait analysis, got prompted. Eric was telling me that he evaluated Chris, I think, for Achilles tendinopathy. Yep. Is that right?
Dr. JJ Thomas:And, he wanted to take a look at his gait and I was like, let's do it on the podcast. Let's share it with everybody. So can you tell me a little bit about how that how that transpired?
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Yeah. So Chris came in. We had plans to do the running gait assessment actually on his first visit. And after hearing the history, hearing your symptoms, I know we were having the Achilles issue, we're still getting some cramping, and, went through an assessment. And I did part of that runner's readiness assessment that we talked about last week during the the, the treadmill portion of this.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:I figured, hey, there there are some things we're definitely gonna end up getting into from a running standpoint. I wanna make sure outside of our traditional assessment strategies, I wanted to take a look at those things and get, again, a look under the hood. And we ended up finding that some of the single leg stability challenges, exercises that we were testing, we noticed a lot of that knee valgus positioning happening and, glute inhibition and misfiring. So that kinda led me to getting back to some of those core and trunk related components to the Achilles and calf. Right?
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Yeah. Off many times we've treated Chris's calf to try to address the Achilles pain with not as much success when we were actually tracking back up to the to the trunk and spine. So, knowing that we were finding a deficiency at the hip, it it it was one of those, it was one of those components that just made me resort back to, hey, what worked for Chris in the past? What were the foundational movements that we really, addressed early on that were impactful, and reinforced that plan.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. And it was cool, you know, I was on the in the background watching Eric do Chris's gait analysis and it was cool really to see instantly how when you gave him just one simple cue, it looked like Chris's running form became pretty much effortless. Like, Chris is a great athlete, so he already looks great running. But but then, you know, when they worked on one fine tune little detail, it was like you were effortless there. How did it feel to you, Chris?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, the difference?
Chris Sims:Yeah. Definitely right after Eric gave me, like, the first initial cues, was when I started to notice a difference in my running form. I started to feel a little bit more balanced. I started to feel a little bit more comfortable, and then it kind of popped up on the numbers too, which was great to see right right away as well.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. I love the system and how it how it highlights the numbers that, credit to our friend Doug Adams there who created that camera system and has really it's made our lives so much infinitely easier in terms of, like, the the patients can see the the data to like you feel better, but then you see the numbers and you're like wow, This is this is really worth my time. Right?
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Yeah. There's a lot of things with running when, you know, traditionally, when people start running, they they're not looking for a running coach. They just say, I'm gonna go for a run. I wanna work out, get some get some cardio in, and they just go and just run the way their body feels like it should be running.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Mhmm.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:So there's very little feeling of objective information when a lot of this is angles and positioning, and and there's a lot of objective data behind the scenes that really can influence their efficiency. So versus saying, hey, Chris, lean forward and land on your toes, and then saying, I kinda feel that. I'm not sure. But when when you can tie the feeling to something that is concrete
Chris Sims:Yeah.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:And you're looking at it, it reinforces that feeling of peace to to trust it. Mhmm. And really kinda hammer that.
Dr. JJ Thomas:It gives you real time feedback. Right? Like Chris is like, I think I'm doing it and then the numbers show it. Exactly. Exactly.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Okay. Good. That's the feeling. It's in your brain now. It's input output.
Dr. JJ Thomas:We probably say input output on every single show because it's true. Everything is input output. Yep. What about you touched on something that I think is really valuable. I think Chris you know Chris's gate analysis was prompted by an Achilles issue that came up but but really I think a a undervalued or underestimated piece of gait analysis is that you don't have to be injured to benefit from a gait analysis, right?
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, it's performance.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Correct.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like, you can look at these numbers, you can look at this data, and hey, why not prevent an injury? Number 1, prevent an injury by making sure that your form is good and that you have all the components to give you the capacity to run well, but number 2, make you run faster, run better, run longer, with less breakdown.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Right? Yeah. I mean, no no matter what level of a runner you are, there's always areas to improve that running economy. I mean, we have professional runners. We have amateur runners.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:We have someone that just picked up running yesterday. Right? Yeah. You know, we're we're able to find things even in the higher level athletes. It might be surprising, but those athletes, they're they're so good at doing what they do
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yes.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:And their bodies are so generally efficient and strong that they can kinda get by, not kinda, they're they're the best. They're the best. Yeah. But they get by with these inefficiencies Yeah. Because they are in such in the shape they're in.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And they're master compensators.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:The they're the the best. Yeah. Right? The elite athletes are the best compensators, hands down. So when we start breaking down their form, you know, and we see this across all sports.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:Right? It's not just running. There's almost always something that when you know what to look for from a movement standpoint, we're gonna find stuff.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Mhmm.
Dr. Eric Abramowitz:So, again, no matter what level of a runner you are, we're gonna be able to fine tune some things to make sure that, you know, we're we're improving that running economy, decreasing some of the stress that the ground's hitting you back with Mhmm. And therefore reducing the risk of injury and helping you stay out there longer.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Chris, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about how how you felt with exercises that Eric gave you after after after your findings of both the pre gait analysis work and the gait analysis itself. How'd you feel in those exercises? Like, what came up for you?
Chris Sims:Yeah. I think, obviously, the exercises are something that are really important so that you have something that you can take with you after looking at numbers like that because I think a lot of times it's like you see those numbers and it's just like, okay. Like like Eric said, like, lean forward and pick your knees up, but, like, it's sometimes it's not that easy.
Dr. JJ Thomas:That's right.
Chris Sims:So, like, having these exercises, being able to, like, keep my knee in a good position, being able to hip help my hips and my glutes, you know, and stuff like that and take those with me when I go to school, when I go home, when I work out, is really important. So yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Awesome. That like I said early on, that's one of the things I love about you is that you will do them. Like, I and and it's good for your your your fellow athletes to see them too because I think as I mentioned earlier, you've always been the athlete that isn't afraid to go out on a limb and do something what might seem a little wacky to people. I always think of this this one athlete I saw years years ago, I went to give him like Frogger stretch which if you guys remember that one you're like you're like spread eagle on the mat. It's a little awkward.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And, so not Frogger hops but Frogger stretch. And this kid, he was a high school kid, and I, like, went to show him and he looked at me and he goes, are you trying to get me beat up in the gym? And I was like I'm sorry, but you need this, you know, but but you never cared. So I think I know that you're gonna go back and do this with your with your fellow athletes and and hopefully some of them will realize maybe they benefit from it too.
Chris Sims:Definitely.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. It's awesome. So I already know you and I know you're like a high achiever in pretty much everything you do. So I'm I gotta ask what's next for you? What's what's your senior at Bucknell.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Right? And I know I've kind of gone on about his athletic abilities, but those of you that don't know Chris, he's also very intelligent and, successful in academics as well. So what's next for you post college?
Chris Sims:Yeah. So right now, this summer, I'm doing an internship with the Philadelphia Flyers. That's cool. Working with their marketing team, which is very, very cool. I get to do work a bunch of events for them and work with their marketing and sales team, which is great.
Chris Sims:So after college, I'm looking to work in sports. I would like to get in, like, some scouting, some front office work, with either a football team or a basketball team. So
Dr. JJ Thomas:So cool. Yeah. That's great. I know. And we were talking when we were off air about how, like, certain certain horses just need to run.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Like and and I think you were saying, like, you did an office job last year. Right?
Chris Sims:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And and and you could see where that would be great for some people, but you were sort of like, nah. I need to run.
Chris Sims:Yeah. Oh, yeah. For sure. I need to be with athletes. I need to be working with people that are all working towards one goal, and that's where that teamwork comes in and where sports comes into play.
Chris Sims:So
Dr. JJ Thomas:Yeah. Well, whoever picks you up is gonna be really lucky to have you, Chris. Thank you. Absolutely. Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:So maybe we'll have a follow-up sometime in, like, the fall when you come home for Thanksgiving or something. See how the see how the transition from doing the work that we did today goes for you.
Chris Sims:Yeah.
Dr. JJ Thomas:And, and and stay tuned. Follow Chris. What is your Instagram?
Chris Sims:Chris Sims 11.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Chris Sims 11. I know that. Follow him on social media. Keep an eye out. He's his primal fam, so we'll be posting.
Dr. JJ Thomas:He's had some recent articles, through Bucknell come out and things like that. So always a good story to follow. And, if you have any questions on the gait analysis, please reach out to me or doctor Erica Abramowitz, and, that's it. Stay tuned. Talk to you soon.
Dr. JJ Thomas:Thanks, guys.
Chris Sims:HJJ.